A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 01 eBook

[1] The proper name of this place is Kan-balgassan,
or, for shortness,
Khan-balga, signifying the
city of the khan. Arabian authors have
changed it to Khan-balick
or Khan-baligh; and the Italians to
Chanbalig, Chanbalu, Cambalu,
and even Gamelecco. The Chinese call
this northern part of the
imperial city King-tshing, which has the
same meaning with the Tartar
name, and may be translated Kingstown.
Pe-king, the other part of
the same city, signifies the northern court
or residence.—­Forst.

[2] The description of this palace is exceedingly
confused and
unintelligible, most probably
from erroneous transcription and
mistakes in translation.—­E.

[3] By this obscure expression, it seems to be implied
that there are no
upper rooms.—­E.

[4] The soldiers mentioned here and in other places,
as present in the
great hall upon solemn occasions,
can only mean the officers of the
military actually on guard
over the person of the khan at the time.
—­E.

SECTION XII.

Of the Magnificence of the Court of the Great Khan,
and of the Manners and Customs of his Subjects.

In the beginning of March the great khan departs from
Cambalu, and proceeds north towards the ocean[1],
which is at the distance of two days journey, accompanied
by 10,000 falconers, with falcons, ger-falcons, hawks,
and other birds of prey, that are trained to the sport.
These falconers disperse themselves in companies of
100 or 200 together, and most of the birds that are
taken are brought to the khan; who, on account of the
gout, which has disabled him from riding, sits in
a wooden house, covered with lions skins, and hung
within with cloth of gold, which is carried on the
backs of two elephants. For his particular recreation,
he is accompanied by twelve choice hawks, carried
by twelve nobles, many other noblemen and soldiers
attending him. When any cranes, or pheasants,
or other birds are seen, notice is given to the falconers
who are near the khan, and by these to the khan himself,
who then orders his travelling house to be removed,
and the hawks to be flown at the game, and he, sitting
in his bed, enjoys the sport. Ten thousand men
attend the khan, who disperse two and two together,
to mark where the falcons fly, that they may assist
them when needful, and bring back them, and their
game to the khan. These men are called Tascoal,
which signifies watchmen or marksmen, and have a peculiar
whistle by which they call in the hawks and falcons,
so that it is not necessary that the falconers who
let fly the hawks should follow them, as these tascoal
are busily employed in taking up the hawks, and are
very careful that none of them be hurt or lost.
Every hawk has a small plate of silver attached to
the foot, on which is the peculiar mark of its master,
that each may be restored to its right owner.
But if the mark be lost, or cannot be known, the hawk
is delivered to a certain baron, whose name of office
is Bulangazi, to whom all lost things whatever must
be brought, otherwise the finder would be punished
as a thief; and to the Bulangazi all who have lost
any thing make application. This man is distinguished
by a peculiarly conspicuous ensign, that he may be
easily found out in so numerous an assemblage.